When you talked to Celtics players afterward, limiting Howard was not a surprise nor was it something they felt was overly impressive.

"I have been playing Dwight since 2004, when I was playing against him in the AAU circuit," Davis said. "His game hasn't really changed. It's not like has a jump shot, or a new spin move. He has the same moves since high school. He has the same post moves."

Kevin Garnett, a former league defensive player of the Year, didn't see the C's doing anything special against Howard, either.

"I thought everybody who guarded him did a good job on him," Garnett said. "It is not like he has a ton of moves. He is either going to jump-hook you, spin-lob … he is very predictable."

After a loss is never the best time to talk trash, but the truth is Dwight Howard and the Magic aren't going to beat a healthy Celtics team in the playoffs. In fact Davis said as much yesterday:

Davis clarified his words moments later by adding, "they came out and played better than us today, but if you are talking about a seven-game series, I don't think they can beat us."

If we're healthy in the Spring the only teams that could knock us off are the Heat (wildly underrated by Boston fans. It took them a while because of the egos, but they've clicked now) and the Lakers. I wouldn't bet against the Celtics against either of those two teams, but the Magic aren't even in the equation in my opinion.

25 Responses so far.

They both are right. Dwight doesnt seem unpredictable. And I dont see them beating the C's in the playoffs cause if the Celtics depth this year. They have a great SG/PG backup now in Delonte. And they have seemingly unlimited Big Men - (Perk, KG, Baby, Shaq, JO, Semih, Luke).And Nates game has stepped up, despite the Christmas Day game, he has been solid in place of the injured Rondo.

And he's probably the number one reason i dont think the Magic can be the C's - Rondo. He played great against them last year, and i believe he will do even better this year, no matter who they face in the playoffs. The C's are just so well put together, I dont even see Miami beating them.

Rondo is the coach on the floor, KG is the defensive stopper/emotional leader, Perk is the defensive anchor, Ray is the closer/sniper ;), and Paul is the Captain of it all.

You people are NUTS. D Howard is a great player. You Celtics fans don't realize that Howard didn't play in College, he can from high school. He didn't get the experience like other players did. So "SHUT THE HELL UP"about Howard. He's still learning. I watch him every night and love the way he plays. Jealousy is not attractive. You have the next best "old" center (Shaq baby).

Us trolls say "bring it on". You may beat one Florida team, but the other one will wipe the floor with you.If the player named "big baby" flops all the time, you might just make it. His name fits him. One troll signing out. Good Luck.

Once they watch a few tapes of the "NEW" magic, the C's will bring them down, no issues. The miagic will over all get better with Richardson and Arenas without question, % id the Turk is consistant in his usual passing way's as well as his sweet 3's, then they will certainley be tuffer than previously, but The C's have too many big men and too many option's to come back at the magic with, and they should prevail when it count's the most....

You can't be serious. Shaq,O'Neal,K.G. Think about this.You consider this a upgrade. WOW! Next to D. Howard, Shaq looks like "big baby's Dad. O'Neal is just a body to foul someone. His day's are gone. Any way before the play offs, someone on the C team will be hurt. It always happens.Stay healthy boys, you going to need everyone.

Welcome Magic fan Gail, but your team is mightily overmatched against the Celtics. They don't stand a chance if they meet them. Celtics fans are much more concerned with Miami and the Flakers standing in the way of winning a title, not the Magic.

WOW Celtic fans, I not on drugs. I love my Magic just as much as you love the Celtics. You may get past us, maybe,but you won't have a chance against the other Florida team.By the way your Shaq will be 39 in March and overweight.How long do you think he will last against the Heat,Lakers?Don't worry about the Heat killing the Magic, worry about them killing the Celtics. I'm a she,thanks very much JR. By the way shelby, look at D. Howard's defense. He stopped you guys. Did you forget you lost the game, so get over it. We beat you with D. Howard scoring 6 points, and the "BIG THREE" was playing.

KG scored 22, Glen Davis scored 16. Brilliant interior defense, really. And Shaq only played for 12 minutes. And we didn't have Perk, who can single-handedly put D on Howard. Remember remember last year?

RayRay and Nate both shot bricks: 2-12, we shot 23.5% from outside, and all of those were open shots. That had to do a lot with the loss. In a 7-game streak, it'll be tough for you to get that Christmas miracle.

Frankly, Orlando needs a tough C. Without Gortat, things won't be the same in the playoffs. So yeah, good luck. I hope to see you later this season.

No I'm a FLORIDA GIRL. GO GATORS/TIM TEBOW. If the Magic can't stop the Celtics, I hope the other Florida team will. Believe me when I say I hate the Heat. I dislike the Celtics worse. I love the Magic but they just started playing together. I know they will be a great team.I just don't know how long it will take them. Hey JR it's not my fault because we have more than one basketball team in Florida. I like any team that can beat the cocky Celtics.

Ok, I gotta say it.. no one seems to remember how Howard hurt us last postseason!!! It wasnt with his offense... I seem to remember Paul Pierce flying to the ground, Rondo flying VERY high and then flopping to the ground where my heart stopped, KG getting elbowed left and right, and perk getting ticked off a few times... Point is... Dwight Howard is a nasty dirty player, and he can hurt us in more ways than just the offensive game... Unfortunately... I just hope our guys are EXTRA careful whenever playing against that man..> I'm sure they're all well aware of all this, I just hope they take the time to be careful...

How dare you say Howard is a dirty player because the Celtics flops every time someone plays good defense against them. Paul Pierce complains all the time to the ref. Get your skinny butt out there and Man Up. I see another Celtic is HURT. WOW what a surprise. I guess the good teams are coming up, so someone has to be hurt so the Celtics can make an excuse why they will lose.